2019 Girl On Fire: Lucy VanDemark Ski Racing on Mt. Hood!

/in /by

Lucy VanDemark was the 2019 recipient of our annual Girl on Fire Sponsorship. Lucy attended Session 2 this summer. Enjoy her blog post on her experience and her thank you video about how being the 2019 GOF has impacted her life. Thank you, Lucy!


My experience as the Girl on Fire was incredible.  I got a bunch of sweet gear from Tecnica, Blizzard, Stio, and Shred.  I also had the opportunity to pick up my skis and boots from the Blizzard/Tecnica distribution center in New Hampshire.  The reps were very kind and generous. On the trip to New Hampshire with my dad, I skied at Killington and Stowe for the first time.  We had a powder day at Stowe, and it was so much fun!

Last summer, Keely recommended that I try a longer pair of GS skis. I followed her advice and got a longer pair of Firebirds that made me a lot faster in GS.  The Blizzard skis and Tecnica boots are a blast to ski on.


My week at Mt. Hood was truly amazing. I road tripped all the way from Michigan to Mt. Hood with my dad, which was quite an adventure–we drove through 12 states. I loved the coaches and felt they were super helpful and very knowledgeable. All the coaches helped us focus on certain things to improve on and put our goals in a positive light. The courses were set in a way that really pushed us to work on specific things. When the weather was extremely foggy and there was low visibility, many other camps turned around, but Keely’s pushed through the bad weather.

The coaches made a super fun environment that felt like home, and Jellybean (Keely’s Mom) and Helga’s food was delicious, as usual. I got to meet girls from all over the world, and I made some really good friends that I hope I can see next year. My roommates were awesome and I really liked getting to know them. I made friends that were super funny and I loved hanging out with them. By the end of the week, it felt like I had known all of the girls for way more than seven days. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the Girl on Fire sponsorship!

Interested in applying to be the next Girl on Fire? Applications for the 2020 Girl on Fire Sponsorship will start this fall.